1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein pertains to an apparatus for heating tanks so as to prevent fluid coagulating or gelling during extremely cold temperatures, and in particular, an apparatus for heating diesel fuel in a tank, such as contained in a cylindrical fuel tank mounted on a truck.
2. Description of the Prior Art and Objectives of the Invention
The fuel tank for a diesel engine of a truck is generally located outside of the truck""s engine compartment, and is therefore subject to the outside ambient temperature. Diesel fuel will gel or coagulate when the ambient temperature is below 0xc2x0 Celsius, thereby interfering with the truck""s normal operation. There has been considerable research and development regarding maintaining diesel fuel and other industrial fluids at temperatures above 0xc2x0 Celsius so as to prevent gelling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,348 discloses a container heating jacket comprising a cylindrical wall structure with a resistance heating element. The invention can be used to heat large containers, such as 55 gallon drums of industrial liquid, however, it is not capable of being placed on a typical diesel fuel tank that is mounted on a truck.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,726,346 and 4,934,330 disclose immersion-type devices that have tubular members containing a heating element that are inserted into a fuel tank. Such devices are somewhat more complicated to make and install than the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,910 discloses a device for heating diesel fuel contained in a filter. The device comprises a cover containing a heating element that fits over a fuel filter. However, the device could not cover a mounted fuel tank.
Thus with the problems and shortcomings of prior devices, the present invention was conceived and one of its objectives is to offer a convenient apparatus for heating diesel fuel in a tank of a vehicle.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide an apparatus for heating diesel fuel that can be easily placed on and is likewise easily removable by unskilled personnel from a mounted vehicle tank by utilizing releasable straps.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a diesel fuel heating apparatus that is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and purchase.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a diesel fuel heating apparatus that is foldable and capable of compact storage when not in use.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a diesel fuel heating apparatus that can be operated on a battery power source.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a diesel fuel heating apparatus that is durable, resistant to weather and abrasion, and suitable for outdoor use.
Various other objectives and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art as a more detailed description is sea forth below.
The aforesaid and other objectives are realized by providing a cover made of a flexible material and containing within it an electrical resistance heating element. A cord is connected to the heating element capable of supplying power thereto. The cover which has a large open top area is easily placed on the mounted diesel fuel tank, and is held in place by releasable straps. The cord is connected to a power source. Preferably, the invention comprises both longitudinal and lateral, releasable top straps that hold the cover securely in place on the fuel tank.
The cover is preferably made of two plies of flexible and insulating material. The material is also durable, water repellant, and resistant to other harsh weather elements so as to be suitable for extended outdoor use. The two plies are assembled together so that there is an inner ply and an outer ply. Resistance wires are assembled in between the inner ply and outer ply, and the plies are fixed together, such as by sewing, gluing, heat welding or the like. An electrical cord is operatively connected to the heating resistance wires and preferably supplies DC power thereto. A toggle switch can be mounted on the dashboard of the vehicle on which the apparatus is being used, and operatively connected to the electrical cord of the apparatus so that a driver can turn the apparatus on and off while operating the vehicle.
The cover preferably has a semi-cylindrical shape that covers the lower half of the longitudinal surface of the fuel tank, along with a first or front-end portion that covers all of one end of the tank and approximately one-eighth of the upper half of the longitudinal surface, and a second or rear-end portion that partially covers the opposing end of the tank. Typically, the cover is placed on the bottom of the tank in accordance with the above configuration so that the tank sits in the cover in a trough-like manner, and releasable straps are run across the top of the tank to hold the cover to the tank. However, the cover can be tilted at various angles on the tank in order to accommodate contiguous structures, such as a fuel connector line.
The shape of the cover and its flexible nature, along with the use of releasable straps, enables the apparatus to conform to tanks of varying shapes and sizes, with contiguous structures at varying locations. Furthermore, the apparatus is relatively simple to use and can be easily placed on and removed from a fuel tank by unskilled personnel.